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Piedmont subcommittee proposes diversified street‑tree 'shopping list' and phased trials
Summary
A three‑member subcommittee proposed roughly 25 candidate street trees and recommended phased plantings (5–10 of each species) to test survivability and maintenance; staff will guide species choices based on soil, space and utility‑wire clearance.
A Park Commission subcommittee presented a proposed palette of trees intended to diversify Piedmont's street canopy and reduce reliance on a few dominant species. Subcommittee member Dave Johnson described using inventories and examples from nearby cities and suggested trial plantings to test species performance.
"The intent really is to begin to diversify the number of types of trees that the city plants," Johnson said, explaining the committee's goal to plant small numbers of several species and monitor performance over a multi‑year period. The presentation named species and types — including ginkgo, redbuds (Cercis), Catalina ironwood, California buckeye (Aesculus californica), olives (a fruitless Swan Hill variety) and several drought‑tolerant cultivars — and discussed matching species to strip width, overhead utility wires and soil type.
Commissioners stressed the importance of pairing species recommendations with clear notes about likely issues such as fruit drop, invasive roots or maintenance burdens so residents can make informed choices. Staff said the city arborist would likely recommend two or three appropriate trees for a given planting location rather than allow a free‑for‑all selection. The subcommittee expects to finish its work by early summer and recommended identifying priority zones and monitoring outcomes before larger rollouts.
